With the release of only her second film this weekend, writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig instantly became a filmmaker that I eagerly watch to see what she does next. Having not yet seen her sophomore feature, an adaptation of the 1970 Judy Blume novel “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” Craig made such a strong impression on me with her directorial debut that she ranks (in my humble opinion) among one of the handful of young/new directors to watch out for. The movie that hit me so hard as to leave this kind of impression years later? It’s none other than the 2016 coming-of-age dramedy The Edge of Seventeen.
Why is this movie worth your time? Keep reading to find out. 😊 What’s It About [NOTE: This section contains minor spoilers for “The Edge of Seventeen.” If you’d rather see the film for yourself, skip to the next section.] The protagonist of The Edge of Seventeen is Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), a temperamental and self-isolating teenage girl whose only healthy relationship is with her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). However, a drunken sexual liaison between Krista and popular kid/Nadine’s older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) creates a rift in their enduring friendship and sets Nadine off on a downward spiral of self-destruction and self-discovery. Along the steps of her journey, Nadine makes half-hearted attempts to reach out for advice from people in her life. Notably, she rejects a suitor-turned-friend Erwin Kim (Hayden Szeto), pines for upperclassman Nick Mossman (Alexander Calvert), and develops an awkward (inappropriate) friendship with her teacher Max Bruner (Woody Harrelson). However, her rather off-putting and abrasive personality combines with her insecurities to make for some hilarious antics but also some emotionally intense moments with both her peers and her widowed mother Mona (Kyra Sedgwick). Ultimately, The Edge of Seventeen tells the story of a young woman growing into her own and realizing what she cares about most. Why It’s Worth Watching Given that cliché summary, you might expect The Edge of Seventeen to be just another standard coming-of-age flick that touches on the same themes and utilizes similar plot elements as any of them. But to assume so would be greatly underestimating the sheer amount of talent on display in this film. At its core, the strength of the movie is Kelly Fremon Craig’s awareness of her own strengths & playing into them. Namely, as a first-time director and talented screenwriter, she relies on her incredibly poignant and genuine dialogue (performed by the very talented cast assembled under her supervision) to serve as the backbone of the film. Not that her directing is bad by any means, but it’s certainly not the most original piece of cinema in that sense. However, it doesn’t need to be. The Edge of Seventeen shines in its writing which is more than enough to make it a solid coming-of-age dramedy. But great dialogue & situations for the characters to get entangled with are only as good as the actors bringing it all to life. And while the supporting cast (both young and old) all do well here, the undeniable standout is the great Hailee Steinfeld. As an unabashed huge fan of Steinfeld’s acting chops, I stand by the fact that her turn as Nadine in The Edge of Seventeen is on par with the best work of her career in the Coen Brothers’ True Grit and the Apple TV+ series Dickinson. Given the director’s great dialogue, Steinfeld brings to life one of the most relatable, down-to-earth, and genuine teenage lead character that I’ve seen in a film in the past decade (if not longer). Simply put, her and Crag seem like a great pairing and I can only hope that they team up again in a future project. Honestly, I don’t have much else to say about The Edge of Seventeen. Mainly because I think the writing, directing, and lead performance do more than enough to sell it. On top of that, though, these elements come together to actually transcend the familiar trappings of the coming-of-age flick that I’m pretty aware of by now. But, if you pick only one more movie from this genre to watch for the rest of your life, I don’t think you can go wrong with The Edge of Seventeen. It’s funny. It’s heartfelt. It captures the messy travails of adolescence in a way that many films like this can only dream of. What more can I say? 😊 Have I convinced you to check out Kelly Fremon Craig’s The Edge of Seventeen? What’s a movie that you feel is underappreciated? What opinions of mine do you find absolutely ridiculous? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, this has been… Yours Truly, Amateur Analyst
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Austin McManusI have no academic or professional background in film production or criticism; I simply love watching and talking about movies. Archives
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